Drawer Construction..

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
How do you make your drawers, here is one obstacle that i am having that normally i dont have..
i have 15 drawer frnts that need to be approx. 8.75 wide and that width can cause two major problems, the first one is the availability of that width of lumber that matches somewhat close, and then enter in the equation the stability of the frnts.. so how would you tackle this and show some pics if you have some, i know about book matching but that would require 8/4 stock which i dont have. these will be false frnts on the main drawer construction.
 
The search for wide stock that matched well was a challenge on my current project. That just takes luck or time or both. I only have an 8" jointer but have a planer sled that took care of truing things up. With false fronts you are free of all joinery so movement is easy to handle. You can use the pulls as the main attachment point and then add washerheadhttp://www.mcfeelys.com/product/0812-SRZ/8-x-1-14quot-Zinc-Super-Round-Washer-Head-Screws screws through oversize holes for securing things. If you want to glue (I do) just run a 2" wide strip of glue near the top edge (I stay about 3/4" away so there is no chance of squeeze out) and leave the bottom free to expand/contract (here's where the washerhead screws come in handy).
 
You could use the hardwood plywood of the species, and edge band in solid wood. No movement issues, width problems, and no end grain to deal with.


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I agree with Brent and Mike. I lost count of how many drawer fronts I made in a commercial shop using plywood wrapped with veneer on all sides. Cover the inside face first, then the edges, then the front so the seams are concealed better.
 
The false fronts could be frame and panel. More work and a very different look but, you can use 3" to 4" narrower stock . . . just thinking out loud here . . .
 
The key is having a lumber mill as your supplier. All the boards in that stack came from the same tree. No worries about finding a matching board in that stack.:thumb:
 
The key is having a lumber mill as your supplier. All the boards in that stack came from the same tree. No worries about finding a matching board in that stack.:thumb:

You got that right. When I built that desk I selected the boards with the intent in mind to get them to match color and grain. Fortunately the guy I buy from has a mill in Oregon so it made it simpler.
 
The key is having a lumber mill as your supplier. All the boards in that stack came from the same tree. No worries about finding a matching board in that stack.:thumb:

HMMmmmm.....same stack from the same tree equals what you are looking for for the drawer fronts:rolleyes: you might just find something like that in our front wood storage bin:thumb: OH and those boards that do not meet that criteria, I will dispose of for you:D
 
Here is something to put in your pipe and smoke on for a spell. Lets say fur argument you got a stack of 8/4 x 5 resaw em to 3/4 line em up and glue em up into a 10.
Looking at the oak desk I'm sitting at they just glued up 2.5 inch strips until they had the weight they needed. Pretty plan grained oak so the strips don't stand right out at ya.
 
Here is something to put in your pipe and smoke on for a spell. Lets say fur argument you got a stack of 8/4 x 5 resaw em to 3/4 line em up and glue em up into a 10.
Looking at the oak desk I'm sitting at they just glued up 2.5 inch strips until they had the weight they needed. Pretty plan grained oak so the strips don't stand right out at ya.

now there is some logic i can live with,, i was hoping that a 2 piece glue up with grain matching would work in another persons eyes:) see i dont want to have to go buy lumber for these, if it were just 5 drawers at 8.75" wide that would be one thing but to get 15 that size is another.. and cost is a factor.. for those of you who havnt had lumber cut before, to get 9" clear lumber out of cherry or any species for that matter isnt a easy task..:)
 
Sounds like you could use a piece or two of the cherry veneer I just got. The veneer is 25" to 26" wide and made up of 2 pieces of book matched veneer.
 
I don't know what species of wood you are thinking of for this project Larry but in lines of Chucks desk, I was sitting playing cards last night and it was an oak table we were playing on and one board was 2" the next was 5" the next was 3 1/2" and so forth. No uniformity amongst them and it looked just fine. no matching of the grain, nothing, just glued up in random and looked good...
 
I like Glenns idea of frame and panel except i was going to suggest a moulding in place of the rail and stile. Use a wide piece and what you dont have fill out the edge with a moulding and the breaking line the moulding would cause would distract the matching panel issue. Finishing could be used to match em just look at what Bill A. achieves with tinting etc. I also think something like a more than plain draw front makes a better piece. Just my 5 cents ;)

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A couple of thoughts here:

As to the width (height) needed for the drawer front, if you've milled the wood yourself or know who did and how they did it, you should have a stack of boards from the same tree. Any two adjacent boards should yield the same thing as resawing an 8/4 board. That's essentially what I've done in some cases when I got some cherry from a guy who had a small sawmill.

On the issue of plywood fronts, here's a thought: Even the 'old masters' used veneer where it was appropriate. They may have had to apply it over cheaper woods because that's what was available back then. Don't you think they would embrace good plywood or MDF as substrates if they were alive now?
 
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